登陆注册
5259800000048

第48章 MY DEBUT AS A LITERARY PERSON(3)

Next day's entry records the disaster. The three boats got away, retired to a short distance, and stopped. The two injured ones were leaking badly; some of the men were kept busy baling, others patched the holes as well as they could. The captain, the two passengers, and eleven men were in the long-boat, with a share of the provisions and water, and with no room to spare, for the boat was only twenty-one feet long, six wide, and three deep. The chief mate and eight men were in one of the small boats, the second mate and seven men in the other. The passengers had saved no clothing but what they had on, excepting their overcoats. The ship, clothed in flame and sending up a vast column of black smoke into the sky, made a grand picture in the solitudes of the sea, and hour after hour the outcasts sat and watched it. Meantime the captain ciphered on the immensity of the distance that stretched between him and the nearest available land, and then scaled the rations down to meet the emergency;half a biscuit for dinner; one biscuit and some canned meat for dinner;half a biscuit for tea; a few swallows of water for each meal. And so hunger began to gnaw while the ship was still burning.

[Diary entry] May 4. The ship burned all night very brightly, and hopes are that some ship has seen the light and is bearing down upon us. None seen, however, this forenoon, so we have determined to go together north and a little west to some islands in 18 degrees or 19degrees north latitude and 114 degrees to 115 degrees west longitude, hoping in the meantime to be picked up by some ship. The ship sank suddenly at about 5 A.M. We find the sun very hot and scorching, but all try to keep out of it as much as we can.

They did a quite natural thing now: waited several hours for that possible ship that might have seen the light to work her slow way to them through the nearly dead calm. Then they gave it up and set about their plans. If you will look at the map you will say that their course could be easily decided. Albemarle Island (Galapagos group) lies straight eastward nearly a thousand miles; the islands referred to in the diary as 'some islands' (Revillagigedo Islands) lie, as they think, in some widely uncertain region northward about one thousand miles and westward one hundred or one hundred and fifty miles. Acapulco, on the Mexican coast, lies about north-east something short of one thousand miles. You will say random rocks in the ocean are not what is wanted; let them strike for Acapulco and the solid continent. That does look like the rational course, but one presently guesses from the diaries that the thing would have been wholly irrational--indeed, suicidal. If the boats struck for Albemarle they would be in the doldrums all the way; and that means a watery perdition, with winds which are wholly crazy, and blow from all points of the compass at once and also perpendicularly. If the boats tried for Acapulco they would get out of the doldrums when half-way there--in case they ever got half-way--and then they would be in lamentable case, for there they would meet the north-east trades coming down in their teeth, and these boats were so rigged that they could not sail within eight points of the wind. So they wisely started northward, with a slight slant to the west. They had but ten days' short allowance of food; the long-boat was towing the others; they could not depend on making any sort of definite progress in the doldrums, and they had four or five hundred miles of doldrums in front of them yet. They are the real equator, a tossing, roaring, rainy belt, ten or twelve hundred miles broad, which girdles the globe.

It rained hard the first night and all got drenched, but they filled up their water-butt. The brothers were in the stern with the captain, who steered. The quarters were cramped; no one got much sleep. 'Kept on our course till squalls headed us off.'

Stormy and squally the next morning, with drenching rains. A heavy and dangerous 'cobbling' sea. One marvels how such boats could live in it.

Is it called a feat of desperate daring when one man and a dog cross the Atlantic in a boat the size of a long-boat, and indeed it is; but this long-boat was overloaded with men and other plunder, and was only three feet deep. 'We naturally thought often of all at home, and were glad to remember that it was Sacrament Sunday, and that prayers would go up from our friends for us, although they know not our peril.'

The captain got not even a cat-nap during the first three days and nights, but he got a few winks of sleep the fourth night. 'The worst sea yet.' About ten at night the captain changed his course and headed east-north-east, hoping to make Clipperton Rock. If he failed, no matter; he would be in a better position to make those other islands. Iwill mention here that he did not find that rock.

On May 8 no wind all day; sun blistering hot; they take to the oars.

Plenty of dolphins, but they couldn't catch any. 'I think we are all beginning to realise more and more the awful situation we are in.' 'It often takes a ship a week to get through the doldrums; how much longer, then, such a craft as ours?' 'We are so crowded that we cannot stretch ourselves out for a good sleep, but have to take it any way we can get it.'

Of course this feature will grow more and more trying, but it will be human nature to cease to set it down; there will be five weeks of it yet --we must try to remember that for the diarist; it will make our beds the softer.

May 9 the sun gives him a warning: 'Looking with both eyes, the horizon crossed thus +.' 'Henry keeps well, but broods over our troubles more than I wish he did.' They caught two dolphins; they tasted well. 'The captain believed the compass out of the way, but the long-invisible north star came out--a welcome sight--and endorsed the compass.'

同类推荐
  • Fraternity

    Fraternity

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 加句灵验佛顶尊胜陀罗尼记

    加句灵验佛顶尊胜陀罗尼记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上老君清静心经

    太上老君清静心经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • On Our Selection

    On Our Selection

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说梵网六十二见经

    佛说梵网六十二见经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 你是夏夜的繁星

    你是夏夜的繁星

    “去把桌子上的水果拿来”“不要,我又不是你的佣人!”苏夏瞳瞪着她那双大葡萄眼,怒视着一脸悠哉躺在大床上的赫连北陌。“你说什么?”赫连北陌晃了晃手里的合约,深眸邪肆。“过来”赫连北陌朝苏夏勾了勾手。“干嘛?”苏夏不情愿地走到床前“你捏我脸干嘛!”赫连北陌捏起苏夏瞳婴儿肥的小脸“以后还敢不敢顶嘴了”“不敢了不敢了。”【本书甜宠无虐欢迎入坑】
  • 迢迢年华皆为你

    迢迢年华皆为你

    推荐三世新文《偏执大佬总灌我迷魂汤》求支持~十八岁生日夜,她潜了高冷男神——蓝尘修。婚前,他冷漠无情,拒她千里之外。婚后,他深情无限,唯她一人。“蓝惜月,我的快乐就是宠你,爱你,惯坏你···”推荐其它完结作品:《豪门独宠:高冷BOSS请克制》《帝国总裁,宠翻天!》
  • 嫡女重生之绝世无双

    嫡女重生之绝世无双

    一颗凤凰星,引起天下大乱!浴火重生,天下终将归一!上一世,因为一个不为人知的秘密,她嫁给了自己爱却不爱自己的人。本一心相待的妹妹,却不想因为那个秘密害的她全家灭门。一次乱棍的殴打,让她重生到了十三岁的这一年。这一次,弟弟还未身死。这一次,自己已经知道了那个秘密。这一次她遇到了他……他是天皇国新帝,亦是她的盟友。她与他七年之约,岂料,将自己的心竟送了出去。二人携手,拉开了一统天下的序幕!
  • 千年恋之花月吟

    千年恋之花月吟

    “相濡以沫,不如相忘于江湖。”他淡淡地看着她,随口说出了这句话,仿佛那些柔情与甜蜜从不曾有过。感觉不到他温柔的双眼,感觉得到他已不再眷恋,泪水忍不住在眼中打转,尊严却告诉她一定要坚强。于是她一字一句地决绝道:“我宁愿我们从不曾相濡以沫,我但愿我们从来就相忘于江湖。”一壁江山唾手可得,失去她的真爱,却又如何重来?他舍江山,是否就能换回她的真心?
  • 灵犀幻道决

    灵犀幻道决

    “传说,斩尽三尸,便可化凡未真,打破这生死的枷锁,便可逆转这苍穹!”从地球穿越过来的小混混韩阳,带着不甘,踏上这修仙之路,为的就是这巅峰逆转!!!
  • 秘境探踪

    秘境探踪

    李有旺以大纪实的手笔,全景式地再现了一个名叫“俐侎人”(彝族的一个支系)的神秘部落的生产生活概貌,反映了李有旺在深入探索这个部落,悉心研究这个部落之后的发现与思考。” 俐侎人没有文字,但有自己的语言,有着原始的崇拜,一席黑衣,男女一般自幼就指腹为婚(现在已有所改观),保留着传统的爱情观念,是分保守,全书透露他的对思考和探索,也有着自己的解读。《秘境探踪》是一部典型的乡土文化作品,读后无不使人对俐侎人淳朴生活的向往,他们是精神守卫者,也是浮躁灵魂的追寻。
  • 田园风华

    田园风华

    不要在内容简介中泄露你的QQ,以免被他人冒用她是中医世家的传人,却叛逆的想做厨师,谁知梦想即将实现的时候诡异穿越。来到陌生的世界,却又一个单身女子成了有夫有子的神秘少妇。冲着懂事儿子的温情关心,江晓菀决定从此替宁儿照顾这个漂亮的儿子。遇见你何其有幸,当第一眼见到那个成为她丈夫的人的时候,她明白了什么叫做见君倾城,世无其二。
  • 益州名画录

    益州名画录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 全能师尊

    全能师尊

    穿越到异界啥都不会怎么办?看来只能干自己的老本行当老师了。我叫方白,有个系统,什么都会一点点。学生:老师,你会啥?方白:我啥不会。已经没有群了,嗯,就这样。新书《我的大魔王老师》已上传。
  • 偏执夫君的纯情娘子

    偏执夫君的纯情娘子

    大学毕业,刚找到一个博物馆的工作,没想到就遇到了博物馆连续失窃事件,搞得人心惶惶,最后馆长想出了特别坑的办法,下班以后让每个人带一件文物回家保管,但是这样漏洞还是多多呀!经过一系列的保密工作,林璃月得到一件说是千年以前的串珠项链,在她看来并不起眼的项链却让她遇到不寻常的事情! 回家的路上遇到雷雨天气,没干坏事的她,第一次被雷劈了,等到她再次醒来,却来到了一个不一样的世界,想着找工作填饱肚子,却又遇到了傲娇的主子,被逼无奈做了别人的贴身丫鬟,开始了她的悲惨人生。“月儿,打盆水来!”“是!”“月儿,给本公子宽衣!”“是!”“月儿,今晚由你侍寝!”说好的不近女色的,这是几个意思!!